Origin: Colombia
Region: Cauca
Farm: Manos Juntas Micromill
Variety: Gesha
Altitude: 1950-2100 masl
Process: Anaerobic - Natural
Cupping notes: juicy, sweet, smooth with tart acidity fruit flavor, cherry & milk chocolate
 
Manos Juntas is a micromill in Sotara area of Colombia's Cauca region, operated and managed by our exporting partners at Banexport. The entire concept of this micromill is based on simplifying tasks and responsibilities, for both producers and Banexport.
This particular offering was first purchased in its cherry form when delivered to the mill by eight local producers, on the day of harvest. Upon arrival, the Brix and pH were recorded, and the cherries are placed in large hermetic tanks for a five-day-long anaerobic fermentation. After this, the cherries are taken to raised beds under a parabolic dryer to begin their 30-day process of slowly drying.
Here is a breakdown of the processing steps:
1. Coffee is anaerobically fermented in sealed tanks for 5 days in-cherry
2. Tanks are opened, Brix is tested again, and once the fermentation process is deemed "complete", the barrels are moved to a cool, clean area where they are "aged" in the barrels for an average of 10 days.
3. After the fermentation and aging period, coffee is transfered to raised african beds where it is dried for an average of 30 days, moved multiple times a day to ensure even drying.
*As this coffee is anaerobically fermented in-cherry, "aged" in-cherry after fermentation, and dried as a natural — the prep and appearance of the green coffee resembles a naturally processed coffee. Even more so, the aging process likely contributes to any anytpical coloration found in the green coffee."
Banexport believes that when it comes to a breakdown in factors that contribute to quality:
	
50% is determined by crop production (fertilization, pruning, and proper harvest of cherries)
	
50% is determined by post-harvest processing (fermentation, pulping, drying and storage)
Based on this understanding, Banexport decided to establish Manos Juntas Micromill, in which they purchase cherries from producers and manage the processing, drying, and storage themselves. This model allows producers to focus on healthy production of specialty coffee, while the meticulous work of sorting, processing, drying, and storing is managed by Banexport's team.